Stockton street rattled after brazen shooting death

Saturday

Jun 7, 2014 at 12:01 AM

STOCKTON - Patrick Fry usually sees children running and playing in his north Stockton neighborhood, but his street has been eerily quiet in the days since a teenager was shot to death in broad daylight in front of Fry's home.

Jason Anderson

STOCKTON - Patrick Fry usually sees children running and playing in his north Stockton neighborhood, but his street has been eerily quiet in the days since a teenager was shot to death in broad daylight in front of Fry's home.

"My kids are staying inside now, and I think a lot of people have done the same thing with their kids," said Fry, 25, a father of two. "There would normally be a lot of little kids outside playing right now because it's summer vacation, but not anymore."

Authorities and neighbors said the neighborhood has a long history of violence associated with gang and drug activity, but residents of Kirkby Lane said their street has been relatively peaceful in recent years. Their sense of security was shaken shortly after 1:30 p.m. Tuesday when Jose Ulloa Jr., 19, of Lodi was gunned down in the street near his father's home.

"It's scary," said Kae Lee. "I'm 40-something years old, and I've never seen something like that in front of my home. He was a young kid. He's not supposed to leave his family like that. We come out and pray for him every night."

Loved ones have erected a makeshift memorial along a wrought-iron fence near the scene of the shooting. The memorial features candles, flowers, balloons and a poster board adorned with a picture of Ulloa and heartfelt messages from friends and family members.

Co-workers at the Denny's restaurant where Ulloa worked as a server since 2012 have organized a fundraiser to help his family with funeral costs.

General Manager Trisha Hardcastle said 50 percent of all sales from 4 to 10 p.m. Monday will go to Ulloa's family. The restaurant is in the Flying J travel plaza at 15237 Thornton Road in Lodi. A similar fundraiser will be held the same day at the Denny's restaurant on McHenry Avenue in Modesto, Hardcastle said.

"Jose was a really good kid," Hardcastle said. "He always worked really hard, was always very respectful, like 'Yes, ma'am' and 'Can I take that for you?' All the employees got along with him really well. He was always smiling, always friendly with everybody, and if you were in a bad mood, he always tried to make you happy."

Ulloa recently graduated with honors from Lodi High School, where he once played for the school's football team, friends said.

"My whole staff is just devastated," Hardcastle said. "When we found out what happened Tuesday, everyone was in tears, crying while they were trying to serve people. It's just so hard to believe something like this could happen."

Police have not disclosed a motive for the shooting or a description of the killer.

Anyone with information about the case is encouraged to call the Stockton Police Department at (209) 937-8377, the Investigations Unit at (209) 937-8323 or Crime Stoppers at (209) 946-0600. Crime Stoppers pays cash rewards up to $10,000. Callers can remain anonymous.

Cellphone users can text information to 274637 (CRIMES) by entering the keyword "TIPSPD" followed by their tip. Internet users can visit the Police Department's Facebook page and click "Submit a Tip."

Contact reporter Jason Anderson at (209) 546-8279 or janderson@recordnet.com. Follow him at recordnet.com/crimeblog and on Twitter @Stockton911.